The assassination attempt was a result of the struggle between the three sides against each other.

The ascendant and the two zealots were loyal to Amon. The news they delivered to Nyon, news of Alarak’s betrayal, was true. Amon didn’t want Alarak to take Nyon by surprise and win without much losses, so he balanced the situation by giving Nyon a heads up. The ideal situation was at least one side of the two forces was terminated, and the other side was weakened. A unified tal’darim could always be a threat.

However, the ascendant was either blinded by greed or by the twelve dozes of terrazine he took. Before the mission, for some mysterious reason, he decided to make himself stronger so he could carry out Amon’s will better, and he decided that taking terrazine in the dozens was the best way. Well, he did almost kill Nyon, but the amount of terrazine also chipped away his logic. It was no wonder he forgot about his orders and just attacked Nyon. What was worse was it almost worked. Nyon was completely taken by surprise and almost died. Then again even if the ascendant succeeded Amon would eat him alive.

As for Ji’nara, well, she was fully aware she was the weakest among the three. If she was to keep her place in the trio she would need to be on equal ground with Amon and Alarak. This was why she attempted to weaken the two, and what was better than standing aside and watch as the forces of Alarak and Nyon kill each other. She couldn’t let Nyon die, at least not now. Even if Nyon was to die he needed to die after destroying a number of Alarak’s followers. Thus came the kill on the rogue ascendant.

This action also had another unintended effect. Nyon thought Ji’nara was on his side. Why else would she save him? If she wanted him dead she could just stay where she was and pretend to be too shocked to act and the rogue ascendant would’ve did her job for her.

Every tal’darim lived in a world of deception and betrayal. Those that survived were not to be undermined.

“Alarak!” Nyon yelled furiously as his forces met that of Alarak in a field. “You will pay for this.”

“Really? Tell me, Nyon? Are you not confused? You have sent out orders for reinforcements a while ago, and still not one ship came.” Alarak did his standard antagonist speech. “This place is surrounded by forces loyal to me and to me alone. Your fleet is being destroyed at the moment. Now, drop your weapon and submit to me, or you will die.” He pointed his weapons at Nyon.

As stereotyped as Alarak seemed, he wasn’t doing the speech to give Nyon an opportunity to make a comeback. He was attempting to shake the will of Nyon and his followers. It didn’t really work.

“Doesn’t matter. I don’t need reinforcements to defeat you.” Nyon said pridely to cover his inner doubt. He couldn’t afford to show hesitation now. He simply couldn’t. “Loyal supplicants, join me and crush this traitor!”

And the two sides clashed.

Zealots showed no mercy. Glave cannons ripped through plasma shields and protoss armor. Ascendants sent deadly psi energy into enemy flanks. The few slayers did their best to do damage. None of the tal’darim felt merciful to their own people. If anything they moved quicker and hit harder.

Alarak charged into a Nyon adept and crushed her. Two strikes from his giant blades ended another zealot. A slayer shot at him, and was met with a force lightning.

Nyon dismantled an enemy ascendant with a swift move of his blades. Two zealots charged toward him, and were welcomed by a psionic orb. When the orb was gone, so were the zealots.

Ji’nara fought a hand to hand battle with one of Alarak’s ascendants.

“Highlord.” Nyon chopped another zealot apart when his blades were blocked by those of another ascendant. Alarak stared at Nyon provokingly. “Your underlings are boring me. I hope you can be more of a challenge.” His blades were stained in blood, metaphorically of course.

Nyon advanced with no fear. The two fought...with few results. Their skills with the blades and their psionic energies were very similar.

“Ji’nara, join me!” Nyon commanded. Ji’nara paused for a second before abandoning the ascendant she was fighting and joining Nyon against Alarak. Ji’nara wasn’t a bad fighter either. In fact none of the top ascendants were bad at fighting. It was 2v1.

Red blades hit red blades. Plasma shield appeared and deflected attacks that the blades missed. And yet four blades were more than two. Alarak was pushed back further and further.

“Die die die!” Nyon shouted in excitement. The sight of his foe losing ground was perhaps the most entertaining thing a tal’darim could see.

And then all hell broke loose.

Alarak turned to Ji’nara and the group of fighting tal’darim. “What are you waiting for? If I fall, so will you! All of you!” He seemed furious, and he was indeed furious. Neither of his allies played their part, and both wanted to weaken him. He had no choice but to bring it out in front of Nyon.

Nyon smiled widely as if he heard a joke. He trusted the guards in his palace. They were loyal warriors. “If you think you can demolish my trust in my warriors with a few words, you are…”

Suddenly behind Nyon a few Nyon zealots turned their blades and started stabbing and slashing on their previous comrades. A vanguard turned his scatter cannons toward a group of crowded zealots, Nyon and Alarak alike, and opened fire. The projectile wiped out warriors from both sides. An ascendant ignited the psi energy within a brother beside her and watched the ascendant burn. A zealot drew his blades on an ascendant. In the shadows a blood hunter slit the throat of another blood hunter.

The situation was a mess. Amon’s forces were killing Nyon’s forces, and they weren’t hesitant to kill some of Alarak’s warriors doing that. Nyon’s forces were taken surprise, and they were forced to fight Alarak’s forces and be aware of backstabs from behind. Alarak’s forces pushed forward.

The effect of terrazine on the tal’darim forces was just so great. Anyone that took terrazine, which was all of the tal’darim population, that had ambition, again, all of the tal’darim population, could be corrupted by Amon. Not all tal’darim knew or believed in Amon’s plan to destroy the world. After all, Amon was their god once upon a time, and he was pretty strong.

“How dare you!” Nyon disengaged from the combat, turned around, and screamed in disbelief as he observed the change of tide.

Alarak looked at Ji’nara, urging her to make a move. It was now or never. Ji’nara signed and turned around and beheaded Nyon in one swift blow.

Nyon was powerful, but he was completely taken by surprise. Thanks to the rogue ascendant, Nyon believed Ji’nara was on his side even after the rest of his forces were ripped apart by revolts. Plus, the sudden change of event didn’t give him too long to think. His attention were paid on the forces in combat. Deep down he thought Ji’nara could hold off Alarak for at least a few seconds. Well, he was wrong.

There goes the third dead Highlord in less than a month. Ma’lash. Guraj. Nyon. Highlord of the tal’darim was surely a highly dangerous profession.

Seeing their leader gone, warriors ultimately loyal to Nyon fought till the last man. When the cloud cleared, Alarak was in control.

“Hear I declare myself as the Highlord of the tal’darim.” Standing above the armor that previously belonged to Nyon, Alarak declared loudly. There was no objection. Anyone that would have objected was dead.

“I am the First Ascendant. Challenge me now or forever keep quiet.” Ji’nara followed. The scene was quiet.

As the chain of command was set, an Amon zealot walked up to the new Highlord.

“Our master wants to remind you not to forget the deal you made. Jean Turner must be delivered to him.”

“Tell your master I will do that as soon as I control the Death Fleet.” Alarak agreed.

The Death Fleet fell to Alarak quickly. The new Highlord crushed any opposition with an iron fist. Suure, his takeover wasn’t exactly orthodox, but recently none of the Highlords got to their place with a standard method. Several ascendants loyal to Nyon were terminated, and most of the Death Fleet became pawns of Alarak. The world had no idea as one of the most powerful fleets in the sector joined the dark god.

As the event settled and control was established, Alarak started building a trap for Jean Turner.